A few things seen and heard around the house lately:

1. Vi loves to play her computer games. I found this cool site that has games easy enough for a 20 month old. It's fun until after 3 seconds she hits the control key and any other key and a pop up comes on the screen and freezes her play. The "MOMMY!"'s ensue. So basically, my original thought that this could be a diversion for her when I need to get some work done is completely shot. But I love watching her get excited that SHE just made the train say 'choo-choo' or a fish swim by pressing a "button".

2. Now that Vi is enjoying the computer - she and Rich have letter time. Rich says a letter and Vi finds it on the keyboard, strikes the key and then smiles proudly as she sees the end result on the screen. The other night they were sitting on the couch together and every time she found the right letter and successfully made it render on the screen she'd look for me (in the kitchen) and scream, "I did it! Found the X!"

3. Along with this new computer obsession is the obsession with her keyboard. She drags it around with her like a new puppy and pulls it behind her by the 'corn' (cord).

4. Vi has always loved her cell phone, but it's recently turned into an infatuation. She walks around with it in the crook of her neck (while also pushing her doll in her stroller and balancing her purse on her other arm) and she has a conversation with either Grandma, TT or Lauren and it usually goes something like this, "Hi (insert name here)! Upstairs...(pause)...ummmhmmm. Coloring...ummmhmmm. Hannah crying...ummhmmm." Then every few seconds or so she breaks into a deep, fake belly laugh. It's hilarious.

5. Saying her prayers has become a new nightly ritual. She always reminds me that we need to pray by interrupting our nightly song by saying, "Bless Daddy!" and then looks at me like - okay it's your turn. We ask God to bless all of her family and friends (by listing all of you separately!). She then insists that we sing one more song and it begins again. "Bless Daddy!" Friends and family...consider yourself extremely blessed. ;)

Being cheeky

Walking down the stairs today...

...hand in hand.

V: Step
L: Vi, you're such a big girl!
V: Good girl.
L: Well, sometimes. You're a BIG girl.
V: Viley, big girl.
L: Right
V: Big Viley
L: Right
V: Big Mommy

hmmm...

Letters

Vi knows most of her letters now and has fun running back and forth from the living room to the fridge to grab the letters we ask her to find. It's a great game because it's good practice for her and I get to sit on the couch. ;)

New faves

Vi's new favorite toys are a baby stroller that I got..ughm...on the side of the road on "big" garbage day (and proceeded to scrub down with Clorox) and a little stuffed fox christened, Foxy.

Convenience items

Yesterday was a sad day. It was the day I realized my 'go to' snacks on the go no longer cut the mustard. Said snacks = rice cakes and apples. At one time a rice cake would cure all ills, hunger pangs in the middle of a grocery store, a slow short order cook, the long ride home from a busy toddler time class, etc. Today the rice cake takes a certain second chair to ANYTHING. Vi takes two bites and sets it down and says, "SNACK!"

Apples are a different story. I noticed something was up when she started randomly handing me pieces of half chewed apple skin here and there over the past week. Yesterday she sat on my lap at church and proceeded to bite her apple, spit out the skin, and place it atop the rice cake sitting on the empty chair next to us (and yes, that rice cake was minus two bites). I think I was just curious because I didn't stop her from doing it until the entire rice cake was covered with nasty, masticated apple skin. (I'm sure the people behind us began questioning my parenting skills at that moment).
Later in the day we went to a cider mill and of course Vi was eating another apple. As I was shopping I could hear her walking around the shop saying, "Up here." She was discarding the fruity remnants upon anything she could find (until Rich started to follow her around and collect them). Finally we convinced her to begin to EAT the ENTIRE apple. We'll see how long that lasts.

I'm hoping Vi changes her mind about her two old favorites. In the meantime, I'm going to have to find a few more convenient, healthy snacks to get us through when we're on the go.

We had fun trick-or-treating at the museum with friends this morning, playing outside in the freakishly warm weather this afternoon, and trick-or-treating with a scary bunch from Artisan this evening.

We had one pooped golfer on our hands by the end of the day.

Great round...

Catch you guys at the 19th hole.

Awesome

Not sure where she heard it, but as of this evening this is Vi's favorite word.

R: Here, play with this (as he handed her a produce bag at wegmans).
V: awesome

R: Viley, look at the train!
V: awesome

L: Did you have fun at the store?
V: I sit cart. train. horse. water. cow (as seen on the mural of the wegman's countryside)...awesome.

Is this a conspiracy? Where did she learn this word!?!?!

And so it begins...

Recent conversations

R: Vi, see the pictures we took when we took a stroll through the misty cemetery?
V:(pointing at the computer screen to a picture of crucifix on a headstone): Jesus. Bellybutton.

V: Daddy? (where is daddy?)
L: Daddy's in the shower.
V: Shower. Daddy. towel. bellybutton.

L: How was your nap?
V: Good. sleep.
L: Did you have a dream?
V (nodding): Horsies. butterflies. purple. blue.

L: We're here!
V: Store.
L: Ready?
V: Viley. Sit. Cart.

R: Vi, how old are you?
V: 2
R: What's your name?
V: Viley
R: Where do you live?
V: Rochacha
R: What's your favorite club?
V: nine iron

A new friend

Family Getaway

Violet had fun last weekend with the Giannoni/Romero crew when we rented a house in E-ville and spent our time picking pumpkins, roasting marshmallows, EATING goooood food and hanging out with the fam (most of whom are not pictured here - sorry guys - didn't take many pics!).

The house we rented was so nice (thanks Shawnie!) and Vi was infatuated with the enormous stuffed Elk head that adorned the fireplace. To help cope with her fear she said 'DEER!' every 30 seconds while in its presence.

It was a great time and Abel summed up the weekend when he proclaimed, "What's with all the yelling!" during our final breakfast together. It was a fun, LOUD weekend. Viley, you had NOTHING to do with the volume level! ;)

Video snip to compliment recent post:

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Big girl chair

Their first sleepover. Think they had fun?

Grandma, you're under the weather?!?!

I've packed up my car and I'm on my way!

I love you and hope you feel better soon. Can't wait to visit (for real).

Love,
Violet

Ordering Molly

Violet has been playing on her purple rocking chair for about 20 minutes now. She just got Molly (the dolly), sat her on the chair and said, "Sleep dolly". She then blew her a kiss and walked away. ;)

2 to 3 words together

Words are now being grouped together into phrases (to use the term loosely):

• Hi (insert person or object here)
• Bye (insert person or object here)
• Airplane see it
• No Daddy book (telling her father that he can't read the book because she wants to do it by herself)
• Blue car
• Blue sky
• Blue grass
• Sit stroller
• Push stroller
• Cereal please
• Outside please

And my favorite...

• Pop-pop fish (now said everytime she sees a fish, referring to the fact that Pop-pop has fish and that he was nice enough to walk her down to the basement during her last visit so she could say 'hi' and 'bye' to them)